UC Merced Magazine | Volume XIX, Issue VII

UC Merced Athletics Wraps Up a Championship Season

SPORTS

By Andrew Mitchell UC Merced had its most successful fall athletics season in school history, winning seven California Pacific Conference championships and seeing the women’s soccer team advance to the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship quarterfinals. The fall of 2024 was one of a kind. For starters, UC Merced is the only school in the California Pacific Conference to win seven combined Cal Pac Championships in the fall. UC Merced women’s volleyball won the Cal Pac regular season and tournament championship, men’s and women’s soccer earned a share of the Cal Pac regular season championship, men’s soccer won the Cal Pac tournament championship, and men’s and women’s cross country each won their conference championship race. Elizette Ysais won the Cal Pac Women’s Cross Country individual title. “This historic season was a result of a lot of hard work from our team and our support staff,” said women’s

volleyball head coach Ai Prachumsri. “It was awesome to see all the fall sports teams do well in the postseason, and I thought it was a great ending to our time in the California Pacific Conference.” Not to be forgotten, UC Merced’s record in head-to-head sports (women’s soccer, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball) was 26-1-1 in Cal Pac play. Dominance. Following the success at the conference level, all teams punched their tickets to the NAIA National Championships. Significant? You bet. UC Merced was one of just four schools in the NAIA in 2024 and the first school in California since Biola in 2015 to qualify its men’s cross country, women’s cross country, women’s soccer, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams for the NAIA National Championship in the same year. The Bobcats didn’t just make it to the national stage, they made noise in the big dance.

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